


Holding On To Good

by fouralarmsanversfire



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Established Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, F/F, Family Drama, Flashback, Fluff, Homophobic Language, It Gets Better tho!, Lunch date, Sanvers Flirting, Unresolved Emotional Tension, protective!Alex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-11-21 11:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11356134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fouralarmsanversfire/pseuds/fouralarmsanversfire
Summary: When your whole world turns upside down at the age of fourteen, where do you go at your most broken hour?





	1. Is There Anyone Out There?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! It's my first time posting any story publicly (Ahhh)! I'm gonna pretend like I've totally done this before.  
> Although I've edited this about three times, there might be some typos here and there, so I apologize in advance (I tend to write late at night).  
> #MaggieMatters  
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie facing the truth about her first love and braving the consequences from her bold move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: abuse  
> The ~ symbol is the end of the tw

"Margaret! Come eat your dinner! It's getting cold, sweetie!" Her mom softly shouted down the hallway toward her room and resumed humming a soft tune to herself while cleaning up.

Maggie was staring at her door with wide eyes, anxiety running through her whole body. Her chin rested on her knees, her nails digging into her legs at the tension building up inside of her. The clock above her bed ticked softly, making her nerves grate like sandpaper. Maybe her dad wouldn't come home. Maybe he would just stay at work forever. She flinched at every small creak or pop in her house, her legs shaking frantically.

She closed her eyes and gripped the small teddy bear on her bed, her body going numb. The small teddy bear carrying a tag saying 'Will you be my Valentine, Eliza?' taped on it's right ear. She stared at the teddy bear with tears pooling on the edge her eyelids, her lip quivering just the slightest. She threw the teddy bear across the room and sniffled softly, the teddy bear knocking over picture frames that lined her desk.

Maybe she could just run away. She hated this town anyway. She was the strongest and fastest runner on her school's track team. She could just run out of the city and never look back. She closed her eyes at the thought of escaping. Just running and never looking back.

She pictured National City in her mind. Relaxing at the thought of the beautiful skyscrapers and bustling streets, the tall buildings towering over her. The thought of the city made her hopeful for once. A short smile washed over her face as fear quickly crept back into her expression. Her helpless feeling shoving her back into the reality she didn't want to be living anymore. What was to come would be more than a nightmare for her. "Shit..." She mumbled weakly to herself and buried her head in her legs.

Nothing like this had ever happened to her. She didn't even know what rejection was. Eliza's absence from her life for just a few hours was already breaking her down quickly. Quicker than anyone else she cared about. Her aunt, had maybe topped Eliza. But when she moved to upstate Nebraska, it felt like one of the worst days of her life.

But, _this_ moment?

This felt like it topped every family death, friend breakup, or slap from her father. Eliza Wilkie broke her heart into a thousand fucking pieces and there was nothing she could do about it. Maggie couldn't go crying to her mother, she couldn't scream, she couldn't tell her teammates about how much her best friend was the biggest crush of her life. All she could do was hope. Maybe dream of a better, more accepting life. All of her hurt was locked tight in her head full of secrets. Secrets that shouldn't keep a fourteen-year-old up at night. But, the biggest secret of all that not a soul knew about was being revealed. One note was in the hands of the girl she trusted and cared about the most.

The proof to her parents that would end her happiness and the evidence to unleash all the bullies at her school.

One note said it all.

Suddenly, the front door shut with a powerful slam, making Maggie flinch and dig her nails into her legs even harder. The sharp sting of her fingertips piercing through her skin felt like nothing compared to the suspense and fear that churned in her stomach. The stern footsteps stomped from the entry room and through the living room, straight to the kitchen. Maggie sucked in a quick breath, knowing that it could be her last peaceful one without a yelling father at her ear. The pierced skin on her calves throbbed with tiny lines of blood starting to trickle down her legs.

"Damn it..." She scoffed and reached for a tissue on her nightstand, her hand brushing against a neatly folded up paper. She grabbed the tissue and wiped her legs off, swiping the note with her other hand. Her trembling hands unfolded the paper, her heart sinking at the handwriting filling the lines. Eliza's note she passed to Maggie from yesterday's History class. Every other line was Maggie's own writing, complaining about Mr. Wickens' boring lectures. Doodles of hearts and music notes, covered the page. Eliza's swirly, neat penmanship was glowing with bright purple glitter pen on the white page. Her lip quivered as she broke down crying again, ripping the paper in half. Resentment and grief ran through her like never before. All because of Eliza.

"Where is Margaret?" Her dad walked into the kitchen and spoke through gritted teeth, carrying tight fists. One of the fists held a purple paper with Maggie's handwriting. "In her room. Why? What is that, Michael? What's wrong?" "Read this." He dropped the crumpled up page onto the counter and paced around the kitchen.

Maggie's mom picked up the paper slowly and opened up the note.

A block of Maggie's writing filled the page:

_Dear Eliza, I'm not one for cheesy notes and I know this note is weird because it's on Valentine's Day. But, you're totally my best friend. So, I had to! I love your contagious laugh when we spend hours joking around about how much Mikey smells after gym class. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I want to be more than just your best friend. I know that's really weird, but, you're so beautiful. The way I feel when I am around you makes me feel like I'm invincible. All of our adventures out in the farms late at night. Jumping fences and exploring abandoned places. Just screwing around in places that we shouldn't. Those times with you are so cool and I never want to stop having them. When you told me I can become a cop one day. It made me realize a lot about how I feel. What I'm trying to say is that I really like you but not in a friend's way and I want you to go to the dance with me this weekend! And, I really hope you're not busy and we can go together. Everyone from our group of friends is going too! So, Happy Valentine's Day, Eliza. Please meet me by my locker during lunch. (Locker 367A, in case you forgot silly!) I have a surprise for you! -Maggie_

"Michael, what is this?" She said softly, shock barely settling into her. "What do you think it is?!" He raised his voice and slammed his fist onto the counter, "I just came from Dave Wilkie's house. He called me on my way home from work. Eliza gave him that note when she came home from school today. It's from our fucking daughter's notebook and it has her handwriting on it! What do you think it is, Daniela?!" She closed her eyes and sighed shaky, rubbing her temples. "Oh god..."

"Do you know what this is going to do to us? This whole fucking neighborhood is gonna know about this by tomorrow morning. Dave's got a big mouth and when I left he wasn't happy with this whole thing." Michael kept pacing around and ran hands through his hair, his jaw clenched. "Just...calm down. We don't even know what this means. What if Maggie and Eliza were just--"

"--Just what, Daniela? That they were breaking the law and fucking around while we just thought they were having innocent sleepovers? Well, from this note, it looks they were having more than just sleepovers!" He threw his hands up and scoffed, a livid expression washing red over his face. "Michael! My gosh."

"No, Daniela! No," Michael leaned into her close and blinked fast, talking through gritted teeth. "If my daughter is a fag, she's not living under _my_  fucking roof. And, I'm gonna figure that out right here and now." He stormed out of the kitchen and took a sharp turn down the hallway toward Maggie's bedroom. He stomped down the hall and swung her bedroom door open. "Michael. Michael, no!! Wait! Don't!" Her mom shouted from the kitchen, walking after him.

Maggie flinched and gripped her bed sheets tightly, her whole body submitting to a tremble. "Did you write that god damn note, Margaret?! Hm?!" He yanked her off the bed by her arm, his hand pressing into her forearm hard. "Ow, dad! Y-You're hurting me!! Let go!" He grabbed her by the shirt and glared at her with a menacing stare. "Answer me right fucking now." Maggie cried softly and tried to squirm away, shouting through weak sobs. "Dad!! It was just a joke. Bradley made me write the note to Eliza. I-I promise!" He brought her closer to his face and gripped her arms tightly, each shout grating at her ears, "Don't you fucking lie to me, Margaret!"

Daniela hopelessly tried to pull him out of her room and tugged on his arm, "Michael. Leave her alone! Stop it right now! Let her explain." Michael shoved her away, pointing sternly at her. "Stay out of this Daniela! I have the right to know what our daughter is doing to our family! Especially if she wants to be a fag!" Maggie yanked her arm away and shouted weakly, hot, salty tears stinging her cheeks, "Don't touch her, Dad!! She didn't do anything!" Maggie spat back, finding whatever ounce of courage she had left bottled up inside of her. Before she knew it, his hand was wrapped around the back of her head, grabbing a fistful of her hair tightly. "You listen hear, Margaret. I don't want a fag living in my house, under my roof. Now, did you write that note because you liked Eliza Wilkie?" Maggie tried to squirm from his strong hold and whimpered, looking at him with wide, blurry eyes.

A deafening silence fell over the bedroom as she swallowed harsh air that burnt her lungs going in. "Y-yes." He let go of her and scoffed, shoving her away. Daniela bent down to her and held her protectively, watching him stand over them. His chest puffed with heavy, angry breaths while his tight knuckles turned pale. Maggie looked at her tall, menacing father with contempt as he hissed his final words at her, "Pack your shit up. I don't want to see your face when I wake up tomorrow. I don't wanna see your face ever again. You're not my daughter. I don't have homos in my family." He spit in her face and stormed out of her bedroom, slamming the door on his way out.

Daniela brushed the tangled hair out of her face and wiped off his spit with the sleeve of her shirt, looking at her closely. "Margaret, sweetie. We can get you help. They have healing camps up in the mountains. We can cure you from this awful disease that you have. This can be fixed. God can heal this sin." Maggie just sobbed weakly and clung onto her mother, unable to process her soft spoken indifferences. She relaxed into her mother's arms for the last time and buried her face in her shoulder, wishing she could just stay in her soothing hold forever. The subtle rose perfume still flowered her neck with a soft scent, enough to give Maggie her last moments of calm and comfort.

She lifted her daughter's head and wiped her tears, staring closely into her eyes. Her breath was shallow and her voice raspy but soft. "I can drive you tomorrow morning up the road and they have a bus stop that will take you right up to the camp. Then your father will let you back home after you think better thoughts, okay? When you're all better." Maggie's heart ached at her mother's ignorant comforting but for a moment she just closed her eyes and breathed in sync with her mother. She felt her head nod as she weakly gripped her mother's soft, supporting cradle.

"Okay, sweetie. We'll do that bright and early in the morning before your dad wakes up. We can pack you all up tonight." Daniela breathed a sigh of relief and kissed her forehead, rocking their embrace back and forth. Maggie opened her eyes back up and pursed her lips to keep from crying more, knowing that this would be the last time she would see her mother's calm, brown eyes. "No more tears, Margaret. Stay here and I'll bring you your dinner. Who knows when you'll get my world famous cornbread again! It could be months!"

Her mother smiled with a distant, glazed over expression, letting out a meek chuckle. Maggie had already felt that distance between her family for months. Maybe even years. Denial ran past her mom's sad, tired eyes as she kissed her forehead numbly. Maggie reluctantly took her hold off her mother's arms and nodded with a sniffle, leaning against the foot of her bed. Her mouth was parched with unspoken words she never said to her mother, her coach, her friends, Eliza.

God, _Eliza_. How was she still so infatuated with the girl that had just turned her life upside down?

~~~

Maggie sniffled repeatedly and pulled her camping backpack out of her closet, folding her clothes into it quickly. Within five minutes, she had everything she needed to live on her own for a couple of weeks in the woods. Her mom knocked on the door lightly and held a plate of warmed food in her hand, setting it on her bed. "Eat up, Margaret. We're gonna have a long drive tomorrow morning. Here's a few extra pieces of cornbread wrapped to sneak into camp. Shh. I won't tell anybody!" Her mother giggled and held her pointer finger over her lips, her bubbly personality back as if nothing had ever happened. Maggie stared at her and nodded, a weak smile barely visible. "Okay, baby girl. Eat up. I'll get your plate in the morning. Finish packing before you go to bed and get some good shut-eye!" Her mother closed the door softly and left Maggie with a dark, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The feeling similar to when her friends forced her to date their friend Jack last year. A vacant feeling. A dull thump in her chest keeping her present. She grabbed the plate and ate the home-cooked meal, closing her eyes just to savor the taste for one last time. After eating her mother's dinner, she continued to pack. She pulled her fake police badge out of her backpack and slid it onto her waistband, a glimmer of happiness seeping through the pain.

She rummaged through her cluttered closet and dug under a pile of boxes for a hidden shoe box. She pulled out a folded, jet black leather jacket that her Aunt secretly gave her for Christmas last year and wiped the dust off of it. Another gentle smile surfaced, making the knot in her throat subside just the slightest. She quickly slipped it on, slinging her camping backpack onto her shoulders.

 _Run._ That was all Maggie could hear in her head. Run for as long and as hard as you can.  _Run._

It was her only option. Conversion therapy camp was second best.

She'll show her bastard father one day, Maggie thought to herself. Her jaw tightened at the thought of him as she pried open her bedroom window, wiping her runny nose with her wrist. Maggie swung her right leg out of the window but paused, looking back at her room for a moment. The comfort of her every day life was something she would never see again for as long as she wanted to keep going. Keep running away from the ignorance and abuse and denial that she had felt for too long.

She caught a glimpse of the picture frame with her mom and dad and her on a road trip to California. She swung her leg back in and ran over to the frame. She took the picture out and stared into her father's eyes in the picture, ripping him out of the picture. She flipped the picture over and wrote in big purple sharpie a note: "I love you, Mom. I'm sorry." She set it next to her empty dinner plate and grabbed a wad of cash from her drawer.

She sighed heavily and swung her leg out of the window, hopping down a couple feet onto the dewy grass. She crouched down lowly and ran down the sidewalk to avoid her neighbors spotting her. She ran as quick as she could until her lungs felt like they were burning, stopping in the middle of a dark street. She blinked several times and turned behind her, seeing her house already almost a mile back. The blood thumping through her ears were the only sounds accompanying the hundreds of chirping crickets outside in the muggy weather.

Maggie turned forward and walked quickly, a tiny unexpected trail of tears staining her cheeks. She got out her compass from her backpack and focused on it, still heaving for more oxygen, "Northeast to the bus station. Northwest to the diner. Southeast to the schools. West to Eliza's." She recited to herself through airy breaths and kept walking with the compass' arrows pointing Northeast. After an hour of staring closely at her compass, she realized she was walking toward the cornfields. A crunch of dry brush and hay split below her feet as the panic set in.

She was lost.

Lost in the town that she thought she knew like the back of her hand. Maggie tried staring up at the stars. She remembers what her counselor said every time fear overcame her:

 _Just take deep breaths and look up at the stars to calm you down. Breathe slowly. The feeling will fade soon._  

No deep breathing could get Eliza back. No stars would help her feel the warmth of her mother's hugs again. Maggie had nothing left but three torn up pictures of her favorite National City postcards, fifty bucks, her favorite leather jacket, and a backpack full of clothes. Her knees buckled onto the ground as tears poured out of her eyes, her backpack falling off her shoulders as she collapsed. She closed her eyes tightly and sobbed softly into her hands. Eliza's smile burned into the back of her eyelids, hatred finally taking over the thoughts she had about Eliza. Suddenly, she heard a car's screeching brakes and saw headlights casting a shadow of her knelt over body. The woman slowly got out of her truck and looked at Maggie closely. "Honey, are you okay? Are you lost?"

Maggie gasped and spun around, looking at the woman with blurry vision. "I'm...I'm fine!" She resumed running and refused to look behind her, beginning to be afraid for her safety. The woman quickly climbed back into to her truck and followed Maggie, driving up next to her. The woman put her car in park and ran toward Maggie, "What's your name, sweetie?" Maggie turned around with wide eyes, pulling out her pocket knife and pointing it at her. "S-Stay back! I know how to use this! I'm not scared of you!"

The woman stepped back and held her hands up, "I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm not trying to kidnap you. You run too fast anyway, even if I was trying to. I just wanted to know if you were okay. That's all, darlin'." The woman's voice was raspy yet quiet and comforting.  Maggie swallowed a shallow breath, her lungs burning amidst the panic. "Go away! I don't need your help!" The woman looked around and chuckled, "Because you were trying to run into them cornfields that go for hundreds of acres, right?" Maggie looked around them and teared up more, biting her quivering lip. She stepped closer to Maggie and knelt down to her. "What's your name, honey?"

"M-Maggie." She sniffled and wiped her tears, her voice cracking. The woman held out her hand and smiled softly, "My name's Harper." Maggie put away her pocket knife and shook Harper's hand, looking at her with suspicious eyes. "Now, where in the hell are you trying to go at two in the morning on foot? A pocket knife ain't gonna scare a bobcat away from eating you right up." Maggie looked at her plastic watch and sighed at the time on the clock face. She had really been lost for three hours? Every hour felt like a blur and nothing was slowing it down.

"I'm going to the bus station. I need to get to my Aunt Beth's house. She lives in the upper part of Nebraska. She's moving to Missouri soon and I wanna go with her." Maggie wiped her nose and sniffled, crossing her arms to look more tough than she felt. "Trouble at home, huh? Alright, hop in. I'll take you." Harper walked back to her truck and looked back at Maggie who didn't move a muscle. "Well you ain't gonna make it to the bus station on foot. Bobcats and coyotes are lookin' for dinner right now, young lady. Put your bag in the trunk." Maggie slung her backpack into the trunk and reluctantly climbed into the car.

Harper started driving and looked at Maggie occasionally, trying to figure her out. "Why you runnin', Maggie?" She looked at Harper with wide eyes, unable to put her night into shorter words. "I'm gonna go live with my Aunt. I'm sick of this damn town and everybody's so fucking ignorant. I hate it here." Harper chuckled and looked at her, surprised at her sharp language. "Ooh! You got a mouth on you, too. Well, it's always hard being gay when you live in one of the most conservative parts of America."

Maggie shot her a shocked look and furrowed her eyebrows. Harper glanced at her and then back on the road, chuckling softly. "I told my parents when I was your age too. Only I didn't have nowhere to run. No Aunt, Uncle, brother, cousin. Nobody took me in. I got stuck here. Had to live a hellish life until I was eighteen then I bought an old farmhouse for my own. Been here ever since. My parents still hate me but I can at least drive by the house to see if they are still okay." Maggie swallowed the knot in her throat at the thought of her ignorant parents and wrung her hands out. "My dad called me a fag, spit on me, then told me he never wanted to see my face again. I'm gonna keep that promise." Harper sighed and nodded, stopping at a red light. 

"Well, Maggie. Let me tell you some words of wisdom, now. Don't you dare let your father's hate and ignorance run your life. From here on out, you're gonna be yourself and you're gonna be proud of being yourself." Harper eyes filled with tears as she stared into Maggie's hurt and confused eyes. She blinked away her tears and kept driving, clearing her throat. Silence fell into the car as Maggie kept staring at Harper, speaking softly. "How did you know?"

"That you were gay? I got lost in these same damn cornfields when I tried to run away after telling them. It's okay. Your secret is safe with me."

"Okay..." Maggie's cheeks flushed a hot pink with embarrassment as she nodded meekly. Maggie fell quiet again, Harper's words still setting into her restless mind. Harper turned into the bus station and pressed her foot on the brake petal, the squeal of the brakes breaking their silence. Harper shut her car off and sighed, looking over at Maggie. "Alright, Maggie. This looks like your stop. Now, I'll help you buy that ticket and then I'll be on my way." She nodded, a glimmer of happiness re-emerging in her eyes as Harper grabbed her backpack from the trunk. Maggie hopped out and walked in with Harper and looked around at the bus station.

Maggie had always traveled with her family and was used to being on public transportation. But, this time she was alone. She lifted her shoulders and pushed aside her fear, sitting down on the bench closest to the ticket stand. Living with her Aunt Beth until college and police academy would be her last hope. High school was on the horizon and it would be a clean slate for her. A fresh start and just one step closer to National City. Three steps onto the bus would change her life within seconds. Change her life for the better.

Harper sat down next to Maggie with a ticket in her hand and half-smiled, holding the ticket out to her. Maggie tried to grab it out of her hand but felt a resistant tug on it, locking eyes with Harper quickly. "Maggie, you listen to me closely. I need you to be safe when you get there. I wrote my phone number on a piece of paper right here and you're gonna call me if you run into any trouble. Anything at all, you go straight to a payphone and call me."

Maggie nodded and tried to grab the ticket, still feeling her strong grip still on it. Harper looked into her eyes and spoke softly enough for only them to hear. "Now, I don't want you to ever come back to this piece of shit city. You hear me?" Tears ran down Maggie's cheeks as she nodded bravely, a breath hitch escaping out of her throat. "Don't cry now, Maggie. Go get on that bus and don't you dare look back. Get going." Harper blinked away her own tears and cleared her throat, nodding at her. Maggie wiped her cheeks and turned toward the bus, giving the driver her ticket. She got seated and searched for Harper out the window. She saw Harper and waved at her, more tears filling her eyes.

The start of something new, something strange, and something unfamiliar. But, Maggie was ready to forget the pain and forget it for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. After It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex surprises Maggie with lunch at the NCPD station. An unexpected visitor shows up at Maggie’s work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much more fluffier and not as sad as the first chapter (Still angsty though) Alex and Maggie visiting each other at work is literally my favorite thing.
> 
> This is written in the middle of their relationship.

Alex strutted into the precinct with a vicious body language and intimidating expression, slinging a bag of Chinese takeout in her hand. Some of the detectives adjusted in their seats, only knowing her as Maggie's "federal agent" girlfriend.  Joy ran through Alex just at the thought of surprising her girlfriend at work, always eager to catch Maggie in her element. She suppressed the giddy feeling and felt a small smirk dance on her lips. She passed by the staff bathrooms and blinked away the fiery memories of their countless hookups in the stalls, biting her bottom lip softly. This wasn't that kind of day at the office. She had sensed Maggie's tension the previous night, hearing her slip into their bed at around three in the morning to only toss and turn for three dreadful hours until her alarm clock. Alex spotted Maggie at her desk, her hand pressed onto her forehead and a scowl scrunching her face.

Alex stood by to observe every part of her beautiful girlfriend and her cute little habits. Maggie chewed on her lip as her left leg shook under her desk, mumbling broken sentences about the case under her breath. To be honest, she could probably watch her girlfriend for the rest of her life and still be the happiest person ever. Alex finally snuck up to her desk and dropped the food on her stack of files, sliding her hands over the smooth black leather on Maggie's knotted shoulders. Alex bent down to her petite girlfriend and spoke close to her ear, her thumbs kneading soft circles into her shoulders. "You need a break, Detective Sawyer. Lunch starts now." Alex softly inhaled and caught the subtle citrus scent lingering on her neck, the scent giving Alex a euphoric rush of adrenaline through her body. She didn't know why, but, whenever she smelled Maggie's perfume an involuntary response of pure happiness flowed through her limbs.

Maggie quirked an eyebrow and winced a force smile, keeping her eyes planted on the fine print of her paperwork. Alex followed her handwriting and exhaled sharply through her nose, knowing that she would be stubborn about it. Maggie shook her head and scribbled her signature on papers, her head leaning on her hand, "Deadlines, Danvers. I gotta get most of these cases filed by the end of today and each case's paperwork filled out. And I don't have a boss half as nice as J'onn is. Plus, I've got a momentum going. No lunchbreak for me until I file at least four more cases." Alex mouth tugged for a frown at the cold response but kept playfully begging her, "Aw, really? I even went to our favorite Chinese takeout place. Mags, c'mon. You promised."

"No, actually. I didn't promise you lunch. I said twice a week. We had lunch earlier this week and yesterday." Maggie had turned her roller chair to Alex who was still at her ear, a defensive tone raising her inflection. Alex recanted with a serious look, pointing at her. "No, you promised yourself you wouldn't do this again. You told me that you weren't going to work yourself to death like you did last year. And that if I saw you doing that, that I could force you to stop and take a breather. Am I wrong? But, I guess if you need me to go, I'll leave a couple boxes of sweet and sour chicken." Alex shrugged and leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. Maggie looked at her with wide, guilty eyes and sighed, running her hands through hair. "I'm sorry, Danvers. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just..."

"Exhausted? I know you are, Maggie. C'mon, dig in. I'm guessing that you've only had half an energy bar and three cups of coffee?" Her lips rested with a cute, forgiving smile, pushing a box in front of her girlfriend. Maggie resisted the temptation to kiss Alex hard, her cheeks burning a soft pink, “You might know me a little too well, Alex. Tell me you at least didn't forget to get the orange chicken this time?"

Alex playfully scoffed and started unwrapping the boxes of food after moving stacks of files over. "I would never, babe! Especially after that little fit you threw when the restaurant wouldn't give you your money back for bad orange chicken and undercooked rice." A devious grin was plastered on Alex's face as she shrugged off her leather jacket, throwing her girlfriend a quick wink. "The small things you remember...It's just borderline scary, Danvers."

"Oh, please, Maggie. You were talking about that dinner for the rest of the week."

"Um, no! I was talking about the bitch who wouldn't give me my money back for the rest of the week. She was so unapologetic and just rude about the whole situation. If she had just--" Maggie stopped and looked up at Alex's smug expression, submitting to an embarrassed blush. "I'm just saying. She ruined our date." Alex leaned into her desk and lowered her voice, "Well, not the whole date...I think it was a successful night afterwards at chez Danvers..." Maggie blushed a deeper pink and shook her head, nudging her girlfriend's arm away. "Watch it, Danvers. These desks aren't that far away from each other."

A pause dented their conversation as Maggie stared at her significant other, a squint scrunching her forehead in the cutest way possible that flooded Alex's stomach with butterflies. "How'd you know that I was working too much today?" She nudged the redhead while unpacking the boxes of rice. Alex broke apart the chopsticks and stuck them in the rice, looking at her with a snarky look. "Hm, let's see. All those stories that you've told me about how you procrastinated in college because you went to parties and didn't come back to finish work until late. You still do it. Like last night, Ms. three AM." Maggie nodded and laughed, rubbing her neck from the resonating tension built up in her whole body. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I couldn't shake this one case last night. I didn't wake you up, did I?" She shook her head and pecked a quick but soft kiss on Maggie's cheek, giving her a hand a soft squeeze. "No, Mags. It's alright. You've been working hard. I was just worried about you not getting enough sleep. You're soft when you get exhausted." Alex focused in on her chocolate brown eyes with a comforting look of encouragement as Maggie's partner returned to his desk with a handful of his own paperwork and a stressful scowl, glancing over at Alex with a judgmental look.

"Hello, Jeff. How are you?" Alex nodded sternly and addressed him with her business voice, standing up to shake his hand. "Depends on what your business is here, Agent Danvers." He grunted lowly and plopped down in his chair, staring at her with a stoic expression. He ignored her extended hand and started flipping through some of his files without another glance to her. Alex dropped her hand and sat back down, quirking an eyebrow up. Maggie cleared her throat softly and focused her attention on the orange chicken on her desk, sensing the unwanted tension between the two people that she cares about the most. Alex chuckled and smiled charmingly, rubbing Maggie's arm to reassure her.

"Just personal business with this one. No jurisdiction arguments." 

"Yep, don't worry Jeff. She's just visiting on her own time."

Alex looked at Maggie and winked when their eyes met, another big smirk dancing on her lips.

He nodded and grunted his response again, eyeing the cartons of Chinese food. Alex grabbed one unopened box and reached over to his desk and smirk peeking through. "A peace offering, Detective Schriber. A little birdie told me you like Chicken Lo Mein." He smirked and let out a hardy chuckle, grabbing the carton out of her hand. Maggie felt her eyebrows scrunch in surprise, a surprised laugh hiccupping out of her.  "Your peace offer is mighty fine, Agent Danvers. She's a keeper, Sawyer." He winked at Alex and walked away toward the break room with the oyster pail of food. Alex chuckled softly and slid back into the chair, playfully wiping off her shoulder blades. 

"Since when did you–"

"Hey. No asking, just eating. Your break started five minutes ago." Alex handed her a packet of soy sauce and let out a small giggle, planting a kiss on the edge of her lips. She intertwined her fingers with Alex and thumbed over the top of her hand. Maggie stared at her with admiration, placing her hand on her desk where Alex's arm was. "You're amazing. You know that, Alex?"

"Mm... Yeah, I think I'm pretty awesome..." She rolled her eyes and nudged the redhead, unwrapping chopsticks and sticking them into the white rice. "Alright, don't get too ahead of yourself, babe. Cool your jets."

"So why are you visiting anyway? No crazy rogue aliens Supergirl has to go beat up and capture?" Maggie mumbled with a ball of rice in her mouth, fishing through Alex's box of Kung Pao. Alex wiped a grain of rice off the edge of Maggie's mouth and shook her head, shrugging nonchalantly. "Pretty calm day actually. No unusual activity. No Daxamites. Thank god...Just no Daxamites. So J'onn told me to take the rest of the day off. Figured I'd spend it wisely. With you." Alex took a piece of chicken from Maggie's carton and leaned her head on her hand, sighing blissfully. "What's that look, Danvers?"

"You know...Just the look when I realize that I've definitely found the girl of my dreams. Although before I met you, I didn't even realize yet that I had a girl of my dreams. And now, you're here. Like, right here in front of me. And I could not be happier. But other than that, just a look!" She peeped out and grinned a goofy smile, a calming feeling washing over both women. Maggie searched for the right words in the midst finding her way through Alex's loving gaze, shaking her head in disbelief.

"But you say that I'm getting soft? Alright, Danvers. I want whatever you're having. You're a special kind of gooey today, babe." Maggie ran her thumb across the top of Alex's hand while resisting the impulsive urge to grab her and kiss her passionately. Her teeth dug into her lower lip as she tried to refocus on the food in front of her, tossing her rice around lazily. Alex chuckled and shrugged, "I mean it’s true, though! I never realized that someone like you would change my life so effortlessly and so...quickly. You were just so--" Maggie's desk phone interrupted her girlfriend's loving speech, the blaring ring making Maggie's head spin. "Sorry, babe. Just hold that thought." Alex resumed eating her food and slurped up her noodles, making a funny face while doing so. Maggie resisted a chuckle and answered it with a serious but cordial voice, "Detective Sawyer, Science Division. Visitor...? Um no, Schriber and I are finished with follow-up interviews. We don't need to see anybody." A pause in Maggie's voice made Alex glance over at her, the front desk officer speaking to her about who was visiting.

"I’m sorry…Who?" Maggie turned pale, feeling her knees lock up, the crack in her voice saying everything. Alex stood up and put a hand on Maggie's back, whispering softly to her. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Margaret...?" A husky, deep voice spoke softly from behind them as Alex turned around quickly in confusion, unable to make a distinction to the voice. But Maggie just froze, her body stiff and weak, knowing exactly who was behind her. Alex observed his features with a scolding hot grimace, her lips pursed and her hand placed protectively on her shoulder. 

"Margaret, c'mon." The man spoke in an offended voice and scoffed a chuckle, just wanting her to turn around. Alex looked back at him then Maggie, her hand staying glued onto her girlfriend as she whispered, "Maybe we can all take this into the meeting room?" Alex nodded to her girlfriend's dad, gesturing to the more confidential area. Maggie's dad walked into the room with a condescending smile and sat down in a chair, folding his arms. "You must be the girlfriend. Too many of you types in the world thinking it's okay to be like this." Alex coaxed Maggie into the room and closed the door most of the way, completely ignoring his hate speech. Maggie's dad continued with an arrogant tone, "I've got to say...You've really stepped it up, Maggie. Aside from this woman who obviously supports your...whatever, I'd say you're doing pretty well. Nice, solid detective work. Just like you always dreamed about doing, huh? Your aunt told me you moved to National City for the police force. Pretty busy place. I figured you would want somewhere much quiet–"

"–Cut the shit, Dad. Why the hell are you here?"  Maggie stared down at the oval table and leaned her hip on the table, digging her fingers into the laminated oak grain. Her heart raced with so many mixed emotions, letting out more than ten words may bring her to start throwing punches. Anger hammered through her whole body at the same time as the timid fourteen-year-old girl crept back through. The person she buried deep to mask the hurt she felt, was slipping back onto the surface, not even feeling enough courage to look into his eyes. Those eyes that stared at her with the most genuine hate in her bedroom as he yelled gay slurs in her ear. Alex looked down at the ground and rubbed Maggie's tense shoulder, talking in a hushed voice "I'm right here. Tell him what you've always wanted to tell him, Maggie."

"No. Alex, just stay out of it." Maggie's voice was dark, her eyes glazed over with numbness, every ounce of her internally pleading to make it all stop. This was a nightmare, surely. She would wake up in Alex's arms in a few seconds covered in cold sweat. Maggie inhaled sharply and feared that pushing away Alex would be her breaking point. The last straw to break her back. There was no waking up from this. Alex refused to be discouraged by her hurting girlfriend and just nodded softly, squeezing her hand ever so softly to let her know she was still there. She glanced back at Maggie's dad who now had his arms crossed as he stood and stepped closer to her. "Margaret. I came to see you. That's why. Is that a crime? I mean I truly thought you would be happier to see me."

"Bullshit! You haven't spoken to me in almost fifteen years. You need me to be leverage for you against mom? Want more divorce money, dad? Is that it?" Maggie's voice cracked, tears staining her cheeks almost immediately after speaking. Her whole body was numb. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This is not how she pictured it would play out in her head. Her adrenaline careened through every vein in her body, her knuckles still buried in a tight fist on the table with deepening throbs of pain.

Maggie just wanted to hide in Alex's embrace, her calming presence giving her so much inner peace. Maggie snapped out of the thumping in her ears and met with Alex's searching brown eyes. "I'm right here, Maggie. Tell him." Alex knew she had everything planned to say, the little bit of forgiveness she had when she thought she had moved on. All of this, though, was an unhealed wound from her childhood that never mended. Her father's resentment toward her true self was still just as heartbreaking as it was when she was fourteen years old. Maggie's dad paced around and shook his head, spouting out more hateful words, "Oh Jesus. You think I want any more money from your mother? She made it off real well with half my retirement money and investments but I'm not going to take her to court because of it. C'mon kiddo."

"Don't call me Margaret and don't you EVER call me your fucking kiddo, you scumbag!" Maggie snapped and slammed her knuckles into the table again, this time staring straight at the same face that spit at her all those years ago. The precinct grew quiet as some peered into the crack of the door, not used to seeing their co-worker lose her cool so fast. Alex held her arm in case she pounced forward and rubbed her hip tenderly, "Okay, Maggie... Take a deep breath." Alex said softly, rubbing her back in slow, soft circles. Although Alex was holding her composure, she had never seen Maggie like this. Hysterical wasn't her thing. Sadness?  _Yes_. Frustration?  _Of course_. But, of all the things to make her girlfriend snap, it was her father. Maggie took shallow, heavy breaths trying not to run over to her father and just start throwing punches. Schriber slowly walked out of the break room, hearing his partner's distressed voice echo through the precinct and peeked into the meeting room. "Hm. You're Detective Sawyer's father, I'm assuming. What can I help you with today?" The tall, muscled mass spoke with a defensive tone and stood in front of Maggie. "Oh, c'mon. I just wanted to see my god damn daughter. Is that a crime?"

"No, sir, it surely isn't. But, it is if she wants you to leave and you're refusing her command, you'll be trespassing on government property. And  _that's_  illegal... Look, how about I show you where the door is, Mr. Sawyer? It seems like she doesn't want to see you." Schriber nodded to Maggie and put a firm hand on her dad's shoulder, opening the door for him. He tightened his jaw and glared back at Maggie, speaking through gritted teeth, "This is absolutely insane. I came all the way to Nebraska to see you, Margaret. You're too scared to even talk to me like a grown fucking woman. You haven't changed one bit. Still acting like a god damn child. Always running from things that scare you. Running from your own home and now running away from talking to your own father! Just like your damn mother. Taking the easy way out as usual." Schriber started pushing him toward the door as he swiftly escorted him out of the precinct, two other cops standing up to assist him. Alex's mouth was gaped open but tried to hide the shock she felt, staring closely at her girlfriend.

Maggie had her jaw clamped down tight, more tears pooling at the edge of her eyes. "I haven't seen him since the day after he kicked me out of his house. He looked right into my eyes and spit at me, basically telling me that I disgraced the family and that I would never be a part of it anymore." Maggie's lip resisted a quiver, her face remaining stoic but pale as her bloodshot eyes blinked a deep red. Alex kissed her temple gingerly and wiped off the stream of tears going down her cheeks, a twinge of pain going through Alex knowing that her girlfriend was hurting. "Maggie. I'm so sorry. It's okay. He's a part of your past now and he cannot and will not control your life anymore. Let me go pack up your stuff and we can finish lunch at home." She whispered to her quietly, massaging soft circles into the small of her back.

Maggie just nodded once, Alex helping her out of the precinct and into the parking lot. Schriber saw Alex and pulled Maggie's dad further away from them, trying to coax him away from the precinct. She opened the passenger seat door and helped Maggie into the car, bending down to give her a delicate kiss on the temple. "I'll be right back, babe. Okay?" Maggie had no response, not even any tears to let Alex know that she heard her. Alex rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand, softly grazing over her cheekbone. "Maggie. I'm so sorry. All that love that you have but never got back? You thought it was something you didn't deserve. But you do. You deserve all that love. I promise you. Remember what I just told you ten minutes ago? How much you've changed my life? Don't let your father take our happiness away. Especially don't let him take away everything you've made for yourself. An amazing career for the NCPD and countless joint-operations with the DEO. Now, I'm going to go talk to Schriber and see if he can extend the case files deadline." Alex rubbed her knee and kissed her cheek, shutting the car door softly.

Her heart was pumping out of her chest fast, blind rage settling beneath her skin as she approached the two men. Alex crossed her arms and glared at her dad, speaking slowly and sternly. "With all due respect, sir, but that stunt you pulled in front of all of Maggie's coworkers was extremely uncalled for. You just plodding in there and catching her off guard like that is unbelievable. You abandoned her and threw her out when she needed you the most. Now, how many years later and you want some sort of forgiveness? You want to torment her about her happy, comfortable life because yours is miserable? Well, I'll tell you one thing, sir. And that's that Maggie gives a perfect description of how awful you are. Don't even THINK about contacting her. Because you will see me much less calm than I am now when I answer that phone for her. Schriber, Maggie is going to need an extension on filing those cases."

Schriber shook his head and patted Alex on the shoulder, "I got it, Agent Danvers. Tell Maggie that she doesn't need to worry about them. I'll finish everything." Maggie's dad paced around and stared at Alex with contempt, an angry grimace furrowing his eyebrows. "You're a big shot, you know that? You're just another hotheaded federal agent. You're the scum of the earth and you're no good for my daughter." He spit the venomous words at her as she turned back to him with a ferocious look. "You don't know shit about your daughter to know what's good and what's bad for her. You have some audacity saying that she's the same as she was when you kicked her to the curb at fourteen. Stay away from her."

"Or what? You going to lock me up or something? Try me, dyke." He chuckled and threw his hands up with a brash smirk on his face. Within seconds he was pinned against the building, his face digging into the coarse brick, a harsh grunt exhaling out of him. "Agent Danvers!" Schriber shouted as he tried to take her hold off him. The blind rage had settled under her skin. Alex barely budged an inch as she held the pressure points on his neck tightly, speaking through gritted teeth. “If you even think about talking to her, visiting her, stalking her, it'll be the last time you ever get to see this nice, forgiving side of me." She let go as he clutched his neck in pain, heaving for breaths. She strutted off toward the car and panted for breaths, Maggie staring at her confused as she stepped into the car out of breath. "Alex, what's wrong? What took you so long?"

"Don't worry about it." She sped out of the parking lot and took Maggie's hand, her jaw clenched tightly. Maggie looked at her girlfriend and rubbed her jaw, "No. Tell me, Alex."

"I cordially gave your father a piece of my mind. He didn't take it too well so I told him how I really felt."

"Alex." Maggie grew quiet, a conflicting anger and sadness washing over her body. Alex looked at her then back at the road, sighing. "It's fine. I'll work it out if he tries anything."

"He's going to try and press charges, Al. He's that kind of guy..." Maggie teared up and leaned back on to the head rest, closing her eyes. 

"I dare him too. That prick won't get anywhere trying to press charges on a federal fucking agent. DEO will mop that up like it never happened. J'onn knows what I think about your father."

"But it did happen! Don't you get it? That's just one more thing my dad will use against me. My own girlfriend assaulting him after years of me ignoring him. What's next? Him trying to blame me for my Aunt Bethany's death?"

"Maggie, I'm never going to let him just say that to you. You know that. I'll protect you from his ignorant hatred. Him blaming you for things falsely isn't going to happen on my watch."

"But, you don't know him like I do, Alex! That's all he'll talk about. That'll be everything he'll tell my family and then I'll be the lowlife. He deceives people into thinking that I'm the evil. Don't you see how that's going to affect me? You just shouldn't have done anything, Alex." Maggie snapped and lifted her knees to her chest, collapsing into a soft sobbing. Alex looked at her with wide eyes and pulled the car over, sighing softly. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I didn't realize that I-- just... I was trying to protect you."

Maggie shook her head and stared out the window to avoid Alex's gaze, "It's...Whatever. Just forget it."  _Damn it._ Alex felt a jab in her stomach, cognizant that she had just added to the emotional turmoil that she had wanted to ease. The rest of the car ride was silent and tense, Maggie only letting out occasional sighs and sniffles making Alex look at her each time with apologetic eyes. Even on the warmest day in National City, everything felt infinite, chaotic, and cold. Nobody besides her could mend this nightmare. She couldn't shoot it or lock it up in a holding cell. Maggie had to figure out how to rectify her past with her father. She knew she couldn't do it without Alex by her side, ashamed for how much she had pushed her away. Maggie felt her nails dig into her palms, grasping at the fact of how hard it would be if the love of her life wasn't there to walk her through it.

Alex parked the car in the duplex garage and stepped out of the car, feeling a tug on her arm. She quickly looked back at her girlfriend who had leaned over to kiss her on the lips softly. The redhead returned the kiss and let out a relieved breath, a small smile emerging on her lips. Maggie leaned her forehead against Alex's and took her hand, closing her eyes, "I'm sorry, Alex. I've done nothing but push you away when you were right here with me through everything this whole time. I'm so sorry." Alex planted several soft kisses on her lips and rubbed her shoulder, "You don't have to apologize, Maggie. You have every excuse to be angry, bitter, sad, and exhausted. Because I would be the same way if I were you. In fact, I was like that. I was all those things when Kara and I were growing up. We're gonna make things right for you. No matter how you want to go about this, I will be right here holding your hand and supporting you through this."

"Ride or die?"

"Ride or die."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as refined as the first one because I have been quite busy and preoccupied! Hope you still enjoyed the story though!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I really wanted to dive into Maggie's work life and see how I could fill in the blanks about Maggie's work life and give her partner his own little cameo. I actually didn't anticipate writing the tense reunion between Maggie and her father, I just wanted some angst.  
> There will be a chapter three eventually...
> 
> As usual, you can find me on Twitter @sarahssawyerr! Peace out!

**Author's Note:**

> I actually didn't anticipate writing the flashback but it happened. I wanted to really explore what could've happened to Maggie when she was younger.  
> You can follow me on twitter @sarahssawyver if you're ever so inclined to.
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading!  
> Peace out!


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